Thursday, November 2, 2017

BEWARE

Broke down and bought a cheap smart phone ($48... pre-loaded with 1000 minutes, 2000 text messages, and 2GB of data with 60 days of service) so I can be sure to be able to keep in touch during my little trip back to Odessa for my angiogram.  I didn't have one when I broke my leg and had to borrow one from a nurse to let a friend know my situation right after I got out of surgery.  I haven't owned a cell phone in 9 years.  I never seemed to need one back in my NYC days and the last time I had one on me was when I traveled across country on my move to the desert.  Once I got out here, I noticed I didn't get any service so I chucked it out the window of my truck.  From what I have observed, smart phones are more addictive than prescription pain killers... 81,88,46,0,B 

23 comments:

Rita B. said...

True that. I also own a tracfone for those times when I misplace the cell phone. and i have to spend $20 every 3 months to keep it activated. But its sure done its job...several times.

John Wells said...

I can hardly wait to do my first ever bathroom selfie with a cell phone...

bob r said...

SPARE US JOHN, PLEASE

intermittent marathonian 00 said...

Isn't there a new cell tower near Field Lab ?

JohnnyM said...

You have the choice of becoming addicted or just move the phone from 1 known place, to your pocket when necessary to want the security of being in touch with the world.

John Wells said...

That new tower is only for local phone and internet service

John Wells said...

I already have a satellite phone for real emergencies...

Marlin Andrus said...

Verizon is the only phone service we have had that worked at a few places in that area. No longer have it so we are lucky and don't have service while we're at our place! Nice for peace and quite. We have track phone and all we can do there is log onto wifi's and communicate with emails.

Unknown said...

I keep a cheap Tracfone for emergencies only. They charge $20 for 60 minutes and give you up to 90 days to use the minutes. Usually they give you bonus minutes each time you update. Thank God I have few emergencies ... so the unused minutes keep piling up .... until I lose the phone and have to start all over.

intermittent marathonian 00 said...

Thanks for the clarification; I had forgotten that you had previously explained that. Glad you have the satellite phone. We have a cell tower quite near Marathon.

Margery Billd said...

Fox News said a new Apple phone is $1,000.00. Apple 10.

Larry G said...

re: smartphones are addictive... well... maybe but they're basically a phone with internet access.. so it's the information the internet moves to the phone that can be addictive ... but probably not that much more than on a laptop connected to the internet except perhaps that smartphones are "mobile".

Like a lot of other things - the person using those things needs to use some discipline... Gawd knows people are now killing each other and others over messing with those phones while they drive... it's as bad as when we had drunk drivers running amok. Ir'a hard for me to believe how people cannot put the damn things down while they drive... it's like an epidemic...

rj said...

It should work on wifi also for browsing and some messaging. Hotels, hospitals and many stores have free wifi now.

mike said...

I've had a trackfone for years great emergency phone used it quite a few times, cheap at 7 bucks a month

David Johnson said...

Nice picture with Chupa in the background

PS said...

A better title might be "do your homework". Check out coverage maps before buying. If you don't have signal where you are, keep driving. You threw out a good phone.

John Wells said...

I think the title I used is very appropriate considering how people are constantly staring at their cell phones - you see it everywhere you go today. Actually...I did "do my homework" and knew that cell service from all the carriers was spotty out here - I have zero service at my house. I also have a satellite phone for big emergencies. We get a deal out here since we live in a rural area - the sat phone was $150 up front and $30/month for 300 minutes. I have only used it once and that was just to test it out. That "good phone" I threw away was just in case of emergencies when I was traveling across country. I really have no use for a cell phone now that I pretty much stay put. I bought the new one just to make sure I have all my bases covered.

remmij said...

BEEWARE
my 2¢ – cost more than the X - even adjusted for inflation. Makes a passable doorstop in a pinch - hard to carry in my pocket…
still addicted, but too heavy to throw… doesn't seem that smart to me.
"It would take a decade before Motorola's DynaTAC finally reached consumer hands. On September 21, 1983, Motorola made history when the FCC approved the 8000X, the world's first commercial portable cell phone. It cost consumers a whopping $3,995 at the time."
if Chupa was to visit Milan
El Gato Chimney

remmij said...

banking/financials/cashless transactions are headed the mobile route… for better or worse
The Colorado County Citizen - in Columbus, TX…
dead zones
there's a site for that
the TX map

remmij said...

this is painful, but shows what an addict in the wild is like…
with a dollop of fanGurl mixed in - slo-mo (~9:00 in) is like crack, except it requires more storage.
iJustine

John Wells said...

iJustine is a perfect example of what I would never want to become on YouTube. She like many other YouTubers like her have turned the platform into a whore-fest.

Margery Billd said...

Well, at least from iJustine I know all the wonderful things it can do. And this is really good technology. And I can understand it which really impresses me. :-) (Good going Marge. :-) Someone commented here tonight that they thought I really looked healthy. And I said yes I am.

remmij said...

Ms. Bills… you might enjoy this too if you are interested in the iP10 or X or whatever their markerters think helps drive sales…
included a Casey "Samsung" Neistat video on its battery life - it's only about 3½ hours long ;) watch set-up and last bit for the results…
 may send Mackenzie over to "reprogram Casey" - hopefully she won't have to waterboard or c-prod him… too much…
now that might be a viral video…?
a X guided tour -  is doing some tutorials again
C. Neistat/Beme News
included an interview with T. Cook, in Chicago… Angela is a Hoosier, like John… probably close to the same age…
Tim & Angie
Back Home Again…
JN.com